Irritable Bowel Syndrome

At some stage in their lives at least 58 million Americans have cramp like abdominal pain, diarrhoea and or constipation. They have Irritable Bowel Syndrome. These symptoms, however, vary in individual patients and also from day to day. The President of the IBS Self Help and Support Group, Jeffrey Roberts, said, IBS is an illness which seems to strike people down.
For a diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome your symptoms must be present for 12 weeks in a twelve month period. The symptoms of IBS are characterised by pains in the abdomen and must include at least two of the following three. The gut pain is relieved by opening of the bowels, there is change in the frequency of bowel movements and an alteration of the appearance of stools.
At present no one is sure what causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome or what it actually is. There are, however, things we know about IBS. The large gut is more sensitive than in people without IBS. Hormonal changes can trigger symptoms and explains why 80% of IBS sufferers are women. There is a higher incidence of physical and sexual abuse in the IBS group and it can develop following a bout of severe gastroenteritis. Flare up or symptoms can develop with stressful situations and eating certain foods.
Although Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a distressing condition with abdominal pains, diarrhoea, constipation, bloating and rectal pain, there is no abnormality of the gut. In fact it is not IBS if anything was found during investigation.
See your doctor if you have symptoms of IBS. The family doctor will first exclude serious illnesses by arranging for you to have various test before arriving at a diagnosis. Since the introduction of the Rome Criteria, your family doctor can diagnose IBS with the minimum of tests. There are, however, some red flag symptoms that you must not ignore. See you doctor very soon if you have bleeding from the rectum, loss of appetite, weight loss, anaemia or symptoms that develop after you are fifty years old.
For IBS sufferers who feel that it is all in the head, research has shown that there is a link connecting the gut with the brain. Experts think that the Brain-Gut axis is very important in the cause, symptoms and treatment of IBS. Serotonin also has a role in the symptoms of IBS. High blood level is found in Diarrhoea predominant IBS and low level is found in Constipation predominant IBS.
It is reassuring for IBS patients that it is not a cancer and will not lead to cancer or other gastrointestinal diseases. Surprisingly, however, it is estimated that in the global population 20% has or had IBS at some stage in their lives.
Perhaps the most difficult thing about this condition for sufferers is that with this syndrome no one knows the cause, the symptoms vary, no one treatment works for everyone and there is no cure in a condition where the gut is basically normal. Treatment options depends on the type of IBS you have. Of the treatments available, the popular ones are dietary changes, cognitive behavioural therapy, stress management, psychological treatment, drugs and a range of alternative treatment.
In Irritable Bowel Syndrome, you can develop severe abdominal spasms after meals. This is due to the gastrocolic reflex. This is a stronger than normal peristaltic contractions, in response to stretch of the stomach lining and because the gut is more sensitive in IBS, it is painful. If you have severe pains soon after meals, you can reduce the pain by eating smaller but more frequent meals.

By: Dr. Phil Hariram

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